Ezekiel 28:3

3 Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel. No enigmas can stump you.

Ezekiel 28:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 28:3

Behold; thou art wiser than Daniel
That is, in his own opinion; or it is ironically said. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it by way of interrogation, "art thou not wiser than Daniel?" who was now at the court of Babylon, and was famous throughout all Chaldea for his knowledge in politics, his wisdom and prudence in government, as well as his skill in interpreting dreams. The Jews have a saying, that

``if all the wise men of the nations were in one scale, and Daniel in the other, he would weigh them all down.''
And perhaps the fame of him had reached the king of Tyre, and yet he thought himself wiser than he; see ( Zechariah 9:2 ) , antichrist thinks himself wiser than Daniel, or any of the prophets and apostles; he is wise above that which is written, and takes upon him the sole interpretation of the Scriptures, and to fix the sense of them: there is no secret that they can hide from thee;
as he fancied; he had sagacity to penetrate into the councils of neighbouring princes, and discover all plots and intrigues against him; he understood all the "arcana" and secrets of government, and could counterwork the designs of his enemies. Antichrist pretends to know all mysteries, and solve all difficulties, and pass an infallible judgment on things; as if he was of the privy council of heaven, and nothing was transacted there but he was acquainted with it, and had full knowledge of the mind of God in all things.

Ezekiel 28:3 In-Context

1 God's Message came to me,
2 "Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, 'This is what God, the Master, says: "'Your heart is proud, going around saying, "I'm a god. I sit on God's divine throne, ruling the sea" - You, a mere mortal, not even close to being a god, A mere mortal trying to be a god.
3 Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel. No enigmas can stump you.
4 Your sharp intelligence made you world-wealthy. You piled up gold and silver in your banks.
5 You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head - what a big head!
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.